How do you compile a decade’s worth of images and stories into a single blog post? If you ever figure it out, please let me know. In the meantime, this a best attempt at highlighting some of the ongoing clients, fun jobs and unique ingredients that have compiled the last 10 years of Novo Studio.

Enjoy.

Part of my sabbatical plan is to update my website. And while working through some of these changes, it has come to my attention that there are some "unpublished drafts" in my blog. Of course the only logical thing to do is publish them. So, here goes. Fayetteville Roots Festival, circa 2015. Enjoy. 

Today, I'm excited to share another feature from Red Barn Studio Live Sessions. We recently filmed a live performance by Trees & Houses. What is especially unique about this live session is that...

She's a singer/songwriter and she's pretty darn good at both of those. She's about to graduate from Belmont University and head out into the world of singing, writing and performing. And she's also wrapping up her debut album, which she describes as indy/country/folk. Her name is Palmer Lee and she's from right here in Rogers, Arkansas. You may have seen her on the blog before, performing live or posing with her duo counterpart. This time, the images are all her. Here's a few of my favorites. Enjoy. 

As many of you know, we are currently living a life-in-limbo. For the past few weeks, we have called Fort Smith Arkansas and the Mercy Hospital here, home. We've slept on hospital cots, hospital beds, a few different hotel beds and finally, a more permanent (and comfortable) bed at the Candlewood Suites. Our hotel is about a 2 minute drive from the hospital where our kiddos are currently living. We have settled into a bit of a daily routine and today by way of images, we thought it appropriate to walk you through a typical day and also, give you an update. Off we go. 

Say hello to the Thomas Twins. Pictured up top is Summer Joy Thomas and below, Weston Michael Thomas. We are so grateful for these two and for their (somewhat) smooth arrival into the world. The events leading up to their arrival however, have been less than smooth and at times, downright crazy. It's been a very stressful couple of weeks away from home but early Wednesday morning, the twins decided that it was time to enter the world and that was that. 

Having spent a little over a week figuring how to do life in limbo and wondering if the kids were going to be born while I was away, I was anxious to...

While on a recent commercial shoot, I was approached by someone working on decorating VIP/dressing rooms rooms for the new Arkansas Music Pavilion (The AMP). I was asked if I would be interested in creating some photographic art to help decorate these rooms and to be honest, I don't even think this person had even finished asking the question before I said yes. 

The AMP has been around for awhile. Prior to it's permanent structure being built in Rogers, a temporary version of the facility was setup in Fayetteville in the back parking lot of a shopping mall. Recently, construction began on the permanent structure and in just a few short days, the venue will hold it's first concert. My idea for the project was to create abstract images of the actual venue. These images would then be printed as gallery wraps or framed art and used to adorn the walls of the VIP rooms for the venue. I spent a few hours one weekday morning and an additional few hours that evening walking the venue, looking for interesting angles, textures, and details that I could capture as art. 

For me, this job is a perfect compliment and balance to an already busy season of work and life. Taking the time to slow down (or in some cases, stop), to look around and notice the beauty in the details is a great way for a creative person to breathe deep in the midst of seasons of life where air might be scarce. The resulting images were well-received by the clients and I thought I'd share a few of them here on the blog. Cheers. 

We're only 3 weeks into the new year and already, we're positive that nothing else we post this year will even come CLOSE to what's in this blog post. Bold statement? You betcha. But it's true and this video will prove it. Enjoy. 

Last April, I posted a quick review of sorts on my new Fuji X100s. Since then, I've been using it religiously for everything from paid work, to documenting my daily life. I take it on hikes or bike rides or quick trips to the backyard so that my bulldog can empty his bladder. When I'm not using it, it sits on my desk because it's a great looking camera and I love looking at it. It's a great travel camera, too. I barely pulled out my DSLR while in Europe this past summer. And on flights, it looks old enough to not be considered "a portable electronic device", rendering it usable for photographing takeoffs and landings out the window. In Africa, it performed just as my X100 had performed the year before, but without the quirks of the menu or aperture settings freezing up. And wherever I go with it, I always get the same reaction; "Oh sweet, you're shooting film!" Of course when they find out it's digital, they just assume that it's a good looking camera, a novelty design with an ordinary inside. Boy are they wrong. After many months of travel and use, I'm finally sitting down to give a bit of a summary as to why I fancy this little camera so much. Ive split my review into two categories, one for photographers and one for consumers interested in a good camera. I've also posted a number of images that I've captured over the course of my time with X100s. If you have any questions or comments, they are always welcome.

Here we go. 

If I had to pick one word to sum up the year, I don't know what it would be. I suppose you can't pick just one word to sum up anything. They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  And this blog post, with it's "20+" images would mathematically be more words than I would care to list out here. But hopefully, these images in some small way, begin to describe how much fun we've had being creative in 2013 (and quite possibly, late 2012). We're truly thankful for this last year and we're very excited for the next. Onward and Enjoy. 

Sometimes, you just have to get away and unplug. For me, it often results in some extended time outdoors. Most recently, it was a camping trip. My time away was filled with lots of pretty fall colors, cold air, good food, good conversation with good friends, an acoustic guitar solo exhibition, roaring camp fires and absolutely no cell phone service whatsoever. I did however, pack my little Fuji x100s and used it religiously. Here's a few images from my time away.

Happy Weekend.

It's always fun to create images using the architecture of an art museum. And as long as you're not using flash and aiming your camera at every single piece of art, the museum workers typically don't mind you taking pictures at all. Awhile back, we posted images we created from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and this past weekend while in Kansas City, we did the same thing with the Nelnson-Atkins Museum of Art. Here's a few of the resulting images. Happy Monday.

As a matter of fact, yes...we did sneak into an abandoned amusement park. Here's some pictures. Thanks to fellow photographers Ryan Klintworth and Jonna Henderson for coming along. Sorry about all the ticks.